Why do so few recognize how many clutch passes Nick Marshall made in leading Auburn to the BCS Championship Game? Marshall should be a Heisman Trophy candidate next season. Those who believe he could be in danger of losing his job in the spring or the preseason are just wrong.

Speaking of Marshall, did ESPN really rank him the 21st best player in the SEC last season, one spot behind Ole Miss safety Cody Prewitt? Those lists are silly anyway, but that one has no credibility at all.

Why do coaches redshirt players who are so talented they are virtually certain to leave early? Left tackle Greg Robinson is widely considered likely to be one of the first five players picked in the NFL draft. He left Auburn after his redshirt sophomore season. Could he not have helped in 2011?

Why is it so hard to win consistently in basketball at Auburn and, really, at most other SEC schools? Other than Kentucky and Florida, who has been good year after year?

How much better will Auburn’s defense be next season? I believe a whole lot better.

Can Auburn overcome a brutal road schedule to have another big season in 2014?

Can Auburn’s baseball team really make a run for Omaha in Sunny Golloway’s first season as head coach? He is certainly convinced that it can.

Did the Pro Football Writers Association really issue a statement, complete with a typo, ripping Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch for spending only minutes talking at Super Bowl Media Day? Ridiculous. I wish all players loved to do interviews and were colorful and fun. Some are. Some aren’t. Stop whining and go interview someone else.

A union for college football players? Really? I fear some are being led down a destructive path by those who claim to have the best interests of players at heart but whose agendas really are to enrich themselves.

If it’s such a “tragedy” when a college athlete doesn’t earn a degree, why is it not a tragedy if your kid or mine fails to earn a degree? Former Alabama basketball coach Wimp Sanderson was once asked how many of his players earned degrees. “All that want to,” was his answer. Pretty good answer, I thought.

Until next time …

Phillip Marshall is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow Marshall on Twitter: